Spiced ginger yule log
Instead of chocolate, this twist on a classic yule log is flavoured with a festive blend of ginger and cinnamon and comes with a pecan praline and spiced meringue buttercream.
For this recipe you will need a 23x33cm/9x13in Swiss roll tin.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 25g/1oz unsalted butter
- 4 medium eggs
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú light brown soft sugar
- 75²µ/2¾´Ç³ú caster sugar
- 1 tbsp black treacle
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú plain flour
- 25g/1oz ground almonds or ground hazelnuts
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
For the pecan praline
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú caster sugar
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú lightly toasted pecans or hazelnuts (see Recipe Tip)
For the spiced meringue buttercream
- 175g/6oz caster sugar
- 3 egg whites
- 250g/9oz unsalted butter, softened and diced
- 3 pieces stem ginger in syrup, drained and finely chopped, plus 2 tbsp syrup
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line a 23x33cm/9x13in Swiss roll tin.
Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly. Place the eggs in the bowl of a freestanding mixer, add both sugars and the treacle (alternatively, use a large bowl and a hand held mixer). Whisk on medium-high speed until the mixture has trebled in volume and is thick, pale and very light. It should leave a firm ribbon trail when the whisk is lifted from the bowl.
Sift the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, spices and a pinch of salt into the bowl. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold into the egg mixture.
Pour the melted butter around the inside edge of the bowl then gently fold in.
Carefully pour the mixture into the prepared tin and gently spread level using the back of a spoon. Bake on the middle shelf for about 12 minutes until the cake is well risen and springy.
Leave the cake to rest in the tin for 2 minutes and then turn out onto a clean sheet of baking paper. Peel off the lining paper.
Starting from one of the longer ends, roll the cake up along with the baking paper it’s sat on, so the paper is rolled inside. Set aside to cool.
To make the pecan praline, line a tray with a piece of baking paper or silicone mat.
Tip the sugar into a small saucepan, add 2 teaspoons water and set the pan over a low heat. Without stirring, let the sugar dissolve then bring it to the boil. Continue to cook until the syrup becomes an amber-coloured caramel, swirling the pan so that the caramel cooks evenly.
Add the toasted nuts to the pan, stir to coat and cook for another 30 seconds. Quickly tip the nutty caramel out onto the lined tray and leave until hardened and cold.
Break the praline into chunks then add to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Store in an airtight container until needed.
To make the spiced meringue buttercream, set a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
Add the sugar, egg whites, a tablespoon water and a pinch of salt to the bowl and whisk until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is foamy.
Continue to cook for about 4 minutes, whisking continuously, until the mixture has thickened enough to leave a firm ribbon trail, trebled in volume and turned from opaque to bright white. It should be hot to the touch.
Pour into the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or use a large mixing bowl and a hand-held mixer). Beat on a medium–high speed for about 4 minutes until the mixture has doubled in volume and become thick, stiff, glossy and, most importantly, cold.
Gradually add the butter to the cooled meringue mixture, beating constantly, until smooth. Add the cinnamon and stem ginger syrup and whisk to combine.
Carefully unroll the sponge cake and spread 3 tablespoons of the meringue buttercream evenly over the top. Scatter with 2 tablespoons of the praline and two-thirds of the chopped stem ginger.
Roll the cake up into a tight Swiss roll, transfer to a baking tray and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Carefully transfer the cake to a serving board or platter. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining buttercream. Using a palette knife, spread the sides smoothly and create swirly patterns on the top.
Scatter the top with the remaining praline and stem ginger and chill for 20 minutes before cutting into slices to serve.
Recipe Tips
To lightly toast the nuts, place them in a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Stir regularly and cook just until they turn slightly golden and start to smell fragrant, then tip them into a small bowl.
When mixing the dry ingredients and melted butter into the egg mixture, treat the batter gently to avoid knocking out the air bubbles (which will make your cake light and fluffy).
The cake can be baked and assembled ahead of time and chilled. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving.